Reformation/, 1900, chap. ii. Seebohm, /Oxford Reformers/ (Colet,
Erasmus, More), 1867. Einstein, /The Italian Renaissance in
England/, 1902.


(b) Political and Social Condition of Europe.

See the works of Pastor, Janssen and Gasquet cited in section (a).
/The Cambridge Modern History/, vol. i (gives an excellent
bibliography). Hergenrother-Kirsch, /Handbuch der Allgemeinen
Kirchengeschichte/, Bd. 2 (pp. 996-1002). Ranke, /Deutsche
Geschichte im Zeitalter der Reformation/, 1844 (Eng. Trans. by
Austin, 1845-7). Idem., /Geschichte der Romanischen und
Germanischen Volker/ (1419-1514). Kaser, /Deutsche Geschichte zur
Zeit Maximilians I./ (1486-1519), 1912. Cherrier, /Histoire de
Charles VIII./, 1868. Prescott, /Ferdinand and Isabella/, 1887.
Busch-Todd, /England under the Tudors/, 1892-5. Hunt-Poole, /The
Political History of England/, vol. v., 1910 (chap. v.).

The struggle between the Papacy and the Empire, ending, as it did, in
the downfall of the House of Hohenstaufen, put an end to the old
conception of the universal monarchy presided over by the Emperor and
the Pope. A new tendency began to make itself felt in European
politics. Hitherto the feudal system, on which society was based, had
served as a barrier against the development of royal power or the
formation of united states. Under this system the king was sometimes
less powerful than some of his nominal subjects, and was entirely
dependent upon the good-will of the barons for the success of any
action he might take outside his own hereditary dominions. This was
the real weakness of the system, and so long as it remained the growth